A County Armagh village has been revealed as home to one of the most notorious markets in the world for counterfeit DVDs by a host of US film makers

Jonesborough market was pinpointed by the Motion Picture Association of Amercia (MPAA) as “infamous” for its prevalence of physical counterfeit movies in a letter the organisation has written to the US Government.

The border village is mentioned alongside regions in Moscow, India, Ukraine, Brazil and Malaysia by the MPAA, which represents film makers such as Disney, Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and Universial Studios.

It is trying to stop the practise of copying and selling films both - online and in physical form - in order to protect its members’ royalty rights and it seems well aware of the fare on offer in Jonesborough.

“This market sits in an isolated area on the border of Northern Ireland and Ireland and is monitored by illegal traders deploying counter-surveillance measures,” the MPAA said in its letter.

“Despite enforcement activity since 2012, it remains a problematic market and illegal traders often escape across the porous border during raids.”

It noted that a number of arrests have been made in recent times and that all are waiting to appear in court, many of whom could be linked to paramilitary organisations.

“Operators of this market have historically strong ties to paramilitary groups and sell an array of counterfeit products, including pirated optical discs,” the MPAA said.

It is estimated that film piracy costs the movie industry over $6bn a year and the organisation is hoping the US Trade Representative Department can help co-ordinate a worldwide clampdown on the practise.

The fact Northern Ireland is one of the world’s hotspots for piracy won’t go unnoticed by the those in the growing television and film industry here, which has been thriving following the production of Game of Thrones and a number of major films.